Kamsky-Topalov: Bulgarian offer, Chernenko's $935,000 guarantee

11/14/2008 – The Bulgarian Chess Federation confirmed that it wishes to host the match, but is "extremely surprised why the financial arrangements have been changed" [from $150,00 to $250,000]. Now Gata Kamsky's manager Oleksandr Chernenko tells us that his US $935,000 bid will be transferred to FIDE the moment he sees the contracts and knows what he is paying for. Open letters.

First of all there was an undated letter by the Bulgarian Chess Federation
in which the President states that although he is unhappy with the change of
the prize fee from originally US $150,000 to US $250,000 the Federation is willing
to guarantee this fee, as well as the US $50,000 FIDE charges and all organizational
costs related to preparing and hosting the match.

This is the body of the letter in text form:

1. The Bulgarian Chess Federation confirms its wish to host the semi final
match for the World Title in chess between Veselin Topalov and Gata Kamsky.
We are extremely surprised why the financial arrangements for the match have
been changed without sufficient arguments. It is in the best interest of chess
and the necessity for this match to take place in order to determine the contender
for the world title and we guarantee that we can raise the necessary USD 250,000
for a prize fund as well as USD 50,000 FIDE charges and will cover all organizational
costs related to preparing and hosting the match.

2. We guarantee best conditions for both contenders for the world title to
be able to demonstrate their merits.

3. Bulgarian security authorities guarantee the full safety and security of
Gata Kamsky and the members of his staff.

Bearing in mind the importance of this major chess competition, we believe
that the timeline proposed for its preparation is far too short (preparation
of the playing hall, accommodation, PR, the design of the logo and the advertising
material etc.) and therefore we would like to propose the match to take place
in Sofia from the 3rd to 15th February 2009 (opening Feb. 3, first game Feb.
4 ... tie-break in case of possible draw 4:4 and closure -- Feb. 15). We are
ready to talk about details and signing the contract for preparing and hosting
the match.

I was asked several times from several sides to give my point of view regarding
the financing of the match Kamsky-Topalov from my side. It is especially topical
after FIDE's letters
of November 06 and November 07 blaming me that I lied about availability of
funds for the match Kamsky-Topalov in city Lviv in Ukraine.

I don’t want to blame anybody but I would like to explain why the announced
amount of USD 935 thousand (including FIDE charges) was not transferred to the
FIDE account. At first my sponsors and then I promised to do it, several times.
I will explain now why it has not yet happened (the same situation will be with
sponsors from the Bulgaria side). The money was and is available now.

The main reason is that FIDE did not present the necessary contracts beforehand:
for the match Kamsky-Topalov and for match Anand-Kramnik. We asked about
it dozen times. The position of FIDE, money first, is not acceptable for us.
We don’t know what kind of “tricks” can be contained in these
contracts. As soon as the money will be on FIDE’s account we could not
change any issues, and FIDE will push on us to sign the proposed variant.

I see only one way out: conditional transfer. As soon as the contracts will
be looked through, and as soon as the contract will be acceptable for everybody
(Topalov, Kamsky, FIDE) and will be signed, only after that the money will be
lodged to FIDE account.

I will be present at the FIDE Congress as the Manager of GM Gata Kamsky and
as a sponsor also. I think we will find a solution to the main issue, and the
match will definitely take place. I still hope that will happen in Ukraine (city
Lviv). The time that is proposed by the Bulgarian Chess Federation is acceptable.

In the mean time I wish good health to President FIDE Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov
after yesterday’s car incident. Also best regards to our counterpart:
Mr. Danailov and Mr. Topalov.

Sincerely,
Oleksandr Chernenko

ChessBase reports on this match

The following articles are in descending chronological order, i.e. the
latest are at the top, the oldest at the bottom.

Gata Kamsky: 'The time for the negotiation is over'08.11.2008 – "The only way to fight FIDE is
to expose their mistakes," writes the World Championship candidate, "and
fight them in a court of law. I would respectfully request all USCF Board
members to unite and find ways to make sure that justice and fairness
will prevail." Kamsky accuses FIDE of providing Topalov a backdoor into
the final steps of the qualification proceedings. Open
letter.

Roustam Kamsky: 'Gata’s life could be in danger'07.11.2008 – Yesterday we published a press
release by FIDE which re-opened the bidding for the Kamsky-Topalov World
Championship qualification match. Today we received a letter from Gata
Kamsky's father protesting this decision and the pressure it put on the
players to confirm their participation in a match for which no specific
conditions are known. Open
letters by Roustam Kamsky and the USCF.

Kamsky-Topalov match to be held in Bulgaria – maybe06.11.2008 – The Bulgarian Chess Federation
had made a $150,000 bid for this special qualifier match for the world
championship, but then Gata Kamsky's manager Alexander Chernenko offered
a $750,000 prize fund for it in Lvov, Ukraine. Unfortunately the bank
garantees were not forthcoming, and after a final deadline FIDE has reopened
the bidding procedure. Press
release.

Bulgaria to Ilyumzhinov: we are worried27.09.2008 – During the Bilbao Masters tournament
Veselin Topalov's manager IM Silvio Danailov told journalists that there
were no news regarding the Topalov vs Kamsky match. Now Stefan Sergiev,
President of the Bulgarian Chess Federation has appealed to FIDE President:
"Mr. Ilyumzhinov, please inform me where and when the match will take
place!" Full story, now with official
corrections.

Topalov: 'Next Year I Will Challenge the World Champion'24.08.2008 – A few days ago former FIDE world
champion Veselin Topalov visited the International Alcubeirre Tournament
in Spain, where he gave a simultaneous exhibition and spoke to a local
newspaper about Kasparov, the Zaragoza Expo, Scarlett Johansson ("I like
her more in some ways, but my thing is chess"), his chess career and chess
playing computers. Heraldo
interview.

'Topalov has not signed' – Challenger Match in doubt?25.07.2008 – Just when we thought everything
was settled for a World Championship Challengers' Match between Gata Kamsky
and Veselin Topalov in Lvov, Ukraine – November 26 to December 14 – Topalov's
manager Silvio Danialov says his his client has not yet signed anything.
Turns out neither has Kamsky, since according to FIDE "the contract has
not been finalized with the organisers". Details.

Alexei Shirov replies to Gata Kamsky02.06.2008 – Last week Alexei
Shirov published a press release asking FIDE to resolve the crisis surrounding
the special Challengers' Match between Gata Kamsky and Veselin Topalov.
Kamsky's representative replied, and then FIDE came up with a decision
on the venue in Lvov, Ukraine. "This is exactly what I wanted with my
press release five days ago," says Shirov in his new
press release.

Ilyumzhinov guarantees Topalov-Kamsky match in Lvov01.06.2008 – After a great deal of international
bickering the matter is now settled: the special Challengers Match between
Gata Kamsky and Veselin Topalov will take place between November 26th
and December 14th 2008 in Lvov, Ukraine. This has just been announced
by FIDE, with President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov guaranteeing the organiser’s
offer of US $750,000 with his personal finances. Press
release.

Shirov's press release29.05.2008 – After numerous
extensions of the deadline for bids to stage the special Challengers Match
between Gata Kamsky and Veselin Topalov FIDE is now faced with a demand
by the next-in-line player to have a chance. Alexei Shirov is willing
to play in Bulgaria, something Kamsky balked at. "According to the match
regulations he should be replaced by me in this case," Shirov says. Press
release.

Breaking news: Kamsky-Topalov in Lviv, Ukraine?11.04.2008 – We reported yesterday on FIDE's
decision to extend the deadline for bids for the Kamsky-Topalov match.
The Bulgarian Chess Federation protested vigorously, but today the reason
for FIDE's decision is becoming clear: there is a US $750,000 bid to stage
the match in Lviv, western Ukraine. This stop press story comes from Yury
Vasiliev of Sport Express. First
details – and doubts.

FIDE extends deadline for Topalov-Kamsky, Bulgarians
protest10.04.2008 – The match between Gata Kamsky
and Veselin Topalov for the right to challenge the World Champion is scheduled
for the second half of 2008. The Bulgarian side offered to finance and
stage the match, but Kamsky balked at playing on the territory of his
opponent. Now FIDE has extended the deadline for rival bids by twelve
days. The Bulgarian Chess Federation has protested
sharply.

Challengers Match Kamsky-Topalov to be held in Bulgaria...14.02.2008 – ...unless a country comes up with
a US $250,000 bid by April 11th. FIDE has announced its decision to tentatively
accept the US $150,000 bid made by the Bulgarian Chess Federation. The
match is scheduled for Nov.-Dec. 2008, after the Anand-Kramnik match.
Spanish Playwright Fernando Arrabal has published the entire correspondence
between FIDE and Kamsky. Press
release and links.

Khanty-Mansiysk Final: Kamsky wins, to challenge Topalov16.12.2007 – American GM Gata Kamsky has won
the FIDE World Cup. In the fourth game he was able to force a perpetual
check and hold Alexei Shirov to a draw, which meant that he had won the
Final with a score of 2.5:1.5 (three draws, one win). Kamsky won, did
not lose a single game and performed 102 points higher than his nominal
2714 rating. Congratulations
Gata!

Veselin Topalov and the new FIDE world championship
cycle24.06.2007 – At the Presidential Board meeting,
which is currently being held in Tallinn, Estonia, FIDE has introduced
a new Grand Prix series and a new world championship cycle. With a high-ranking
Bulgarian delegation presenting a case for Veselin Topalov to enter the
world championship FIDE made some special rules to govern the 2007-2009
stage. We have tried to decipher
the new system.

See also

9/26/2017 – The final classical game. The finals has been relatively sedate with three draws until now. But it could all end today with one decisive game. Ding Liren has the black pieces today. It's going to be an exciting game. Games kick off at 13:00 CEST (7:00 AM EST) with live commentary from Tbilisi by GMs Evgeny Miroshnichenko and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili and live updates by our reporters Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal.

See also

7/5/2017 – This is neither prank nor clever wording: Garry Kasparov will be playing in the official St. Louis leg of the Grand Chess Tour from August 14-19, 2017. Please note that this is the Rapid and Blitz competition, just as the ones held in Paris and Levuen these last weeks, and not the classical events. However, this is not an exhibition event, and will determine the official Grand Chess Tour rankings as well as FIDE ratings of the players. Here is the press release.

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